Feb. 19, 2011
Source: Market Watch
By Ron Amadon
DAMASCUS, Md. (MarketWatch) – To use a sports analogy, Buicks were long aimed at the baseball team’s treasurer, who sat in the luxury box. But when it came to athletic ability, they struck out in T-ball.
Then one day a 20-year-old with the same name joined the club in spring training and clocked one 425 feet to dead center on his first at-bat. He followed with two more hits and a great catch.
Players on both teams were left wondering, “Who is this guy?”
That is exactly what is going on at Buick. The days of the vinyl-covered roofs, ultra-soft ride and single-digit gas mileage are over. The change is so profound, one wonders if the sales team might have been helped if General Motors /quotes/comstock/13*!gm/quotes/nls/gm (GM 36.51, +0.14, +0.38%) had chucked the Buick name for something else.
Of course, this car does have another identity. In Europe, it is the Opel Signia and was originally supposed to be a Saturn in the U.S. But that sun has now set.
I was as skeptical as anyone about the new Buick and its readiness to compete with the auto world’s major leaguers. After a week behind the wheel of a top of-the-line CXL Turbo I would say the car is more than ready. Is it ready to beat them? No, not quite yet.
But the brand has now produced a car that can be fun to drive on back roads, has good power, is more than comfortable for long drives and is just big enough to stuff two adults into its rear seats. Taller folks might feel their heads brush the headliner.
Let’s start in the power department. The Russelsheim, Germany-made Regal has a turbocharged 220 horsepower in-line four that kicks out 258 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. It was tied to an Asian-made six speed automatic that also allows the driver to manually shift, but only with the center console mounted lever. No paddles are offered, a rather strange omission. The redline comes up at 6,350 rpm.
On the highway, that’s more than enough power to get you out of the ramp and up to speed quickly on the interstate. But on back country, twisty roads, there was a slight hesitation to build up speed coming out of a turn. Here’s is where a twin-clutch manual really shines. However, the automatic is the only tranny offered. Look for a zero-to-60 time of about 7.5 seconds.
Handling was well above what I would expect. Some of that was helped by the P245/40R Goodyear tires mounted on optional 19-inch aluminum wheels. A little less body lean and a little more feedback through the steering wheel would be nice, but you still can have some fun here. There are four-wheel disc brakes all around, with MacPherson struts up front and a four-link independent suspension to the rear. Suffice to say that this all works light-years better than the last Regal I drove, which was softer than Charmin, suspension-wise.
Inside, GM has infused the car with luxury touches. While there was hard plastic,it didn’t look cheap. The ventilation system quickly warmed the car on icy mornings, and the heated leather seating was more than welcome. I did have to dig out the manual to set up my favorite stations on the audio system.
The “Premium 9” audio system was more than adequate, with separate steering wheel-based controls. The test car’s audio system had only single-slot CD/DVD player.
Around town, the car was a delight to drive. I felt it was just the right size for doing errands and parking, at some 190 inches long and 73 inches wide. The EPA says owners should expect 18-28 miles per gallon, and I got 20 combined on the button.
There was some road noise on less-than-smooth pavement, along with a little wind noise at higher speeds, but nothing all that intrusive. Cup holders were mounted a bit too far to the rear for people with longer arms.
With rear-mounted airbags, a power sunroof, high-intensity discharge headlamps and other options, the test car would go out the door for $34,435. That is up from a CXL base of $28,745.
It’s breathtaking to consider how far Buick has come with the turbo Regal compared to its cars of old. A tweak here and there, especially in weight reduction, and the Regal is set to compete in big-league ball.
But that brings the maker to another, bigger barrier — finding a way to get younger buyers into Buick showrooms.
Hubcaps
While sales rebounded in November, the much-talked-about Tata Motors Ltd. /quotes/comstock/13*!ttm/quotes/nls/ttm (TTM 26.40, -0.67, -2.48%) Nano has been a sales flop in its native India. The roughly $2,000 microcar has been beset by production problems.
You probably have seen the gang at “Top Gear” rave about Italy’s Pagani supercar. Now it’s apparently coming to the states. Pagani says it will offer one model, a 700-horsepower Huayra — estimated cost $1.1 million — but it needs a dealer network first.
I like the Chrysler 200 “Imported From Detroit” tag.
And here is proof that you can’t keep a good man down. The Detroit News says “Maximum” Bob Lutz is returning to General Motors in some sort of advisory role. Anyone who loves the industry has got to love that news.
Vehicles tested in this column are on loan from the manufacturers through local dealers.
Ron Amadon writes about cars for MarketWatch from Washington.
